What should i do?

<font size="3">Hi</font><font size="3">I am in a bit of a dilemma. I started my new school in September, after 3 years as an NQT in my old school. I moved for a promotion, I am the Year 6 teacher, and on SMT. I have had a horrible year (and that is being polite). Teachers in my current school never gave me a chance and have really isolated me. They have made slanderous and malicious gossip about me. We have a new Head and she has employed me and one other, all the rest are inherited. </font> <font face="Times New Roman">We are a satisfactory school that wants to be much better. But certain teachers are just so rude its unbelievable, so sly and two faced it makes you want to vomit. They can give a lot of **** but can not take it. I have bee put through hell and back as I have had a grievance against me by one of the teachers for bullying and harassment. When all I have done is my job and stuck up for myself. </font> <font face="Times New Roman">I have had the support of the Head Teacher who has been great and who I like and respect. She gave me a promotion and I feel I owe her. But I have seen jobs advertised as Key Stage Leaders and I want to apply as it will help me achieve my goal of wanting to become an Assistant Head. I want to leave my current school as the people here are just plain nasty. I know it happens in most schools but there is an undercurrent of nastiness here. Everyone is out to get everyone. It is childish, counter productive and difficult to work with.</font> <font face="Times New Roman">I just do not know how to tell my Head I want to go, deadline for job in 2 weeks. It is now or never. Feel like I am being underhand, ungrateful for the chance I was given by my head. I feel very uncomfortable telling her, as I think I am letting her down. </font><font size="3">I have SATs next week, just confused?? </font><font size="3">Any help?</font>

I'm so sorry to read this. Do you have a good relationship with the other new teacher which can at least offer you respite from the other teachers? It's a tricky situation if in the long term there seems to be no hope of turning them round. It's not unusual for new HTs or SMT teachers to make older members of staff feel inadequate - if that is indeed the case. I have seen the 'new broom' experience first hand and then the ensuing exodus of older staff. Yet any new initiatives are surely coming from the HT, not you personally. For teachers to treat your input thus is rediculous and I'm afraid it's you who has to deal with it on a day to day basis irrespective of how supportive the HT may be. My advice is to leave. Even if the HT is aware of the current climate, they are not the one coping with it and any intervention from them could cause even more animosity. Apply for a new post and when having to request time off for interview, let the HT know exactly why,with regret, you feel you have to go. SATs will come and go. I expect you have done an admirable job in preparing the pupils so don't worry about it. We are only human and if your HT is a good character, they will thank you for your contribution, not criticise you.
It's all a learning curve in this profession. We think that the teaching, behaviour management in class and results are the day to day challenges don't we. You don't have to put up with misery making behaviour from other teachers. Learn from your experience and take that with you when moving on to help you deal with a new working environment. Good luck!

I dont think leaving is a solution - as you move up through leadership, staff will distance themselves from you, it's lonely at the top. If you wish to become an assistant head in the future you need to see this experience as an opportunity to learn to deal with difficult people, arguments, back-stabbing etc.
Perhaps the staff don't understand why you are asking them to do something, have you explained your rationale for changes? Is improvement in learning at the heart of everything you are asking of the teachers? You don't have to justify yourself to staff, but if you are asking them to make changes that they cannnot see any value in, you should explain. For example, I've been in places where the co-ord thinks the first thing to do to improve standards is to make everyone write on the same planning pro forma - in reality this doesnt raise standards just annoys existing staff!
I would recommend discussing strategies to deal with difficult people with your head or other SMT - they will have dealt with the same as you.

Hi i did not cause that grievance, it was false and after 3 months of torture it was ruled unfounded by a private company who deal with staff grievances. All i did was, if you are rude to me, do not expect me to be sugar and sweet with you. Surely that is normal? Or shall i just be a door mat?
I have changed assessment procedures, which really needed to be changed. Same tests for all subjects three times a year. Yes, you have read right. I do not know how you tell UPS3 teachers, how, why have you been doing this?
Marking books with just ticks!!! So a new marking policy. Working Walls introduced. But not all instigated by me. All things that have changed have been done to improve standards for children. If people do not like that and results are dire... what style of leadership do you use? Pace setting, democratic, coercive, coaching?? Theory, this is real life.
Yes i do need to probably stay, after false accussations, not a day off sick and i am still standing!! So i can not let them win, but my sanity comes first. I am ready for the next move of my career, i know i am. I have worked my backside off despite everything.
One more year, i should do. Perhaps i owe it to myself...

I have changed assessment procedures, which really needed to be changed. Same tests for all subjects three times a year. Yes, you have read right. I do not know how you tell UPS3 teachers, how, why have you been doing this?

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Did you ask the staff? Because it occurred to me, that using the same test (with time to forget in-between) would give quite a realistic picture of any real progress made. Then you could put forward your own objections & suggest why there need to be a change. I always respect senior staff who listen to their staff input, even though I realise that they have the final decision & appreciate their explanations ofwhy we need to change.

I can honestly say, if your manner of posting is in line with your manner of talking then you are not going to be popular ever. This is not necessarily a problem, many school leaders are not. But if, as in your first post, you do want to be part of the staff and on friendly terms then you might need to rethink.

I do accept that posting late in the evening might not reflect more carefully thought out comments while at work though.

All i did was, if you are rude to me, do not expect me to be sugar and sweet with you. Surely that is normal? Or shall i just be a door mat?

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Perfectly acceptable I would say as long as you were still polite and professional. I'm sorry but your first post of 'can give **** but can't take it' doesn't sound at all polite or professional.
Look at the list of the things you have introduced since September:
1. New assessment procedures, 2. New marking policy, 3. Working walls. All quite big changes (and I bet there are other things that may seem small but you haven't listed), so I would expect to meet some opposition. This doesn't mean that it doesn't have to be done but it does mean that staff will feel off balance and out of their comfort zones. The ride will not be easy BUT a combination of all the leadership styles you listed should ease the transition. As would taking a deep breath and not taking staff reluctance to change as an attack on you personally.
Have any of these changes happened gradually? Could some of these things be phased in to help with transition? Could some of your meetings be given over to, say, developing the working walls where you are able to support?

mohsins said:

I have changed assessment procedures, which really needed to be changed. Same tests for all subjects three times a year. Yes, you have read right. I do not know how you tell UPS3 teachers, how, why have you been doing this?

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Not sure that I've got the right end of the stick but have you tried sitting down and asking what they are doing, where they see the weaknesses and building on that? It comes across that you came in September and made sweeping changes. Did you try their systems first? Or even discuss them before changing? Also not sure what you mean by 'same tests for all subjects three times a year'. All subjects (PE, art etc?) Who writes or produces these tests? - I'm thinking workload for staff. How will they help attainment? - have you explained how you will use the results to benefit the children? Have you given over any time to analysing the tests together? Was there nothing of their old system worth keeping?
Have the staff got anyway of feeding back ideas, concern or thoughts for improvements regarding these new initiatives in a structured way? Give staff a proper forum to discuss and you might find that some of the staffroom griping and whining stops.

mohsins said:

So i can not let them win,

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If you view it as a battle against them personally then you have already lost. Your ultimate aim is to improve the attainment of the children but that won't happen with your staff fighting every step of the way. Play the long game. If all this change is too much all at once then reassure yourself that you will get there, it just won't be tomorrow. The most effective change is never the sweeping stuff but the tried, tested and evaluated stuff which staff feel that they can (eventually) take ownership of.

Here's a post from another thread with some good advice to a poster asking for advice about what to expect from a good HoD. The advice is obviuosly for Secondary but many of the points ar valid for Primary or secondary.
Post by emcdonnell2 04/05/2011on English forum
I took over the HOD position at a new school with a new examination
board at GCSE and A Level in September, after teaching for 10 years. The
problems you will face will revolve mostly around getting things done
in the first few weeks without treading on people's toes - including
those in your new department. My advice (which I admit, I struggled to
follow myself!) is that you should:
- Ask questions of your staff - what are they doing about ? issue, how
have they dealt with ? in the past, whats the best way to get ? done,
etc. Listen to your staff and take their advice if you can.
- rely on your new line manager for advice about anything - rather than
speaking to members of your department about other members of the
department (harder to do than you'd think when you first start at a new
school and you've got no-one to talk to!)
- spend AT LEAST a term getting to know the students, parents, and other
teaching staff (esp in your department!) before you make any big
decisions or grand changes to the way things are done.
- share your ideas and theories for improvement constantly with your
KS3&4 co-ordinators (or 2iC) so they know what direction you want to
head in before you start driving the entire department there.
- Lead by example at first - do things how you think they should best be
done, and then show your success so the staff can see what the
different options are.
- Don't be afraid to throw your weight around with the students a bit (Bold print my emphasis as it says students not staff!)
- try to be as VISIBLE as poosible in your first few months - make announcements in assemblies;
- visit every teacher's classroom - even if it's only for 20mins and give feedback straight away.